Musical instrument keyboard

Abstract

A novel keyboard for use on pianos, organs and the like comprising two confronting sets of keys, each key having a widened main part and a narrow extension, the two sets of keys being arranged with their main parts in confronting relation and with their extensions interleaved therebetween.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a keyboard for a musical instrument of the type including a plurality of keys adapted for connection to means for producing the twelve fundamental tones in an octave, each key corresponding to a different one of said tones, said keyboard being of the type including a plurality of keys having upper surfaces for manipulating said keys to activate said tone producing means, the improvement comprising: said keys being arranged in two confronting rows, each key having a main part and an extension, said rows being arranged with said main parts on opposite sides of said keyboard with their upper surfaces in a common plane with said extensions interleaved therebetween, the upper surfaces of the extensions in one of the rows of keys being raised relative to the upper surfaces of the extensions in the other row of keys which lie in said plane, whereby said keys may be connected to said tone producing means with the extensions of said keys corresponding to continuously increasing tones from one end of said keyboard to the other.   
     
     
       2. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent main parts of said one row of keys and adjacent main parts of said other row of keys are in a whole tone relation to each other whereby adjacent interleaved extensions are in a half tone relation to each other.